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Cheshire Mosquitos Test Positive For West Nile Virus

August 10, 2012
by Special To The ...

In late July, the Connecticut Department of Public Health issued a warning that an uptick in mosquitos testing positive for West Nile virus had been detected in the state.
Now, it appears Cheshire has joined the list of town affected.
In a statement released this week by the DPH, Cheshire was identified as one of 32 towns in the state where the virus had been detected. Mosquitos caught in Cheshire by the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station between June 27 and Aug. 1 tested positive for West Nile.
“West Nile virus is rapidly expanding throughout the state as a result of warm temperatures, high humidity, and frequent rainfall that have created ideal conditions for amplification of the virus in local mosquito populations,” said Dr. Theodore G. Andreadis, Chief Medical Entomologist, CAES, in the statement. “Virus levels will continue to increase during the next several weeks creating an elevated risk for human infection.”
The statement went on to state that all residents, especially those over 50, should take extra precautions to prevent mosquito bites as to avoid any serious illness.
In addition to Cheshire, the following towns have had mosquitos test positive:Bethel, Bridgeport, Chester, Danbury, Darien, East Haven, Glastonbury, Greenwich, Groton, Hartford, Killingworth, Meriden, Milford, Monroe, New Canaan, New Haven, Newington, Newtown, North Branford, North Haven, Norwalk, Shelton, Stamford, Stratford, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Haven, Westbrook, Westport, Wethersfield, and Wilton.
For information on West Nile virus and what you can do to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, visit the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program Web site at www.ct.gov/mosquito.